Within minutes of being rolled out, Taylor raised a point of order that sank the measure. Taylor’s point of order was that the amendment was not germane to the bill to which it was being attached.

He is one of the House sponsors of the Senate bill that was proposed to be amended and said the driver’s permit language could have doomed his measure in the form of a Gov. Rick Perry veto.

“I didn’t want to take the chance,” said Taylor, R-Plano. “I was trying to protect my bill.”

Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, authored the original stand alone bill to give undocumented immigrants here illegally the chance to get specialized driving permits. It would require those applying for a permit to undergo a criminal background check, fingerprinting and prove state residency.

The measure failed to move through the Legislature as a stand alone bill, so now supporters are looking to tack it on as an amendment.

Friday’s amendment was offered by Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, who has been working with Alonzo and the Senate’s top budget writer to craft compromise language to give immigrants here illegally the ability to drive legally in Texas and obtain insurance.

The proposal is being pitched as a law enforcement measure to fix an unintended consequence of a law passed last session that requires people to prove their citizenship to renew a driver license. That 2011 measure, authored by Sen. Tommy Williams, has left undocumented immigrants who drove legally in Texas for decades unable to renew their licenses or buy insurance.

“This is all about the right policy for the sate of Texas and making sure drivers drive with a license or a permit and insurance,” Cook said. “I don’t think we should wait for the federal government somewhere down the road to address this issue.”

He added: “My disappointment is Rep. Van Taylor called a point of order and didn’t allow the body to vote. I think that’s very unfortunate.”

Friday’s spiking of the driving permit plan leaves its future up in the air — the clock is quickly ticking toward Sine Die.

Still, Cook says it’s not game over just yet.

“I’m going to keep trying,” he said, readily acknowledging that the window to get it done is getting smaller everyday.